NEWS ARCHIVE

VA Secretary McDonald visits Ohio hospital

U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald was back in Cincinnati this weekend. McDonald held a town hall meeting at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center on Saturday. McDonald outlined his first 90-day action plan, which includes rebuilding trust with veterans and American people, improving service delivery by getting rid of the back-logs of claims and setting the course for long-term excellence.

Some 3,000 audits have already been conducted on patient scheduling nationally, including Cincinnati, said McDonald.

McDonald spoke face to face with 170 staffers, emphasizing that veterans are the center of everything at the VA.

McDonald outlined his first 90-day action plan, which includes rebuilding trust with veterans and American people, improving service delivery by getting rid of the back-logs of claims and setting the course for long-term excellence.

McDonald's plan is encouraging to veterans after the agency was rocked by coverups and long waits.

“I see a lot of changes in the system, since I’ve been in it. I've been in it for 15 plus years and this is the first time I see it going positive,” said Desert Storm Veteran Jeffrey Rimsberg. “He inherited a rough situation and from what I see, he's trying to make corrections. The system is a large system there's nothing you can do over night but he is trying to make a positive change and a positive effect.”

Rimsberg is being treated at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center where McDonald talked business with staffers.

“We want to make sure all of us are focused on one thing and one thing alone, and that's caring for our veterans,” said McDonald. “We know that trust has been compromised and that we have to work hard to earn that trust back one veteran at a time. But the mission is clear, the mission is to serve veterans.”

For new patients in Cincinnati the wait time has improved from 53 days to 34 days said McDonald and Cincinnati VA Director Linda Smith.

McDonald said improving the VA’s standards also means hiring more medical staff and paying them more so they're competitive with the private sector.